The girl’s eyes went wide. Her mother whispered, “See? That’s what we were telling you about. NISD magnets—they don’t just teach you stuff. They let you build the future.”

Maya blushed. “It’s nothing.”

“Just pick one,” her mom said from the kitchen, stirring a pot of black beans. “They’re all good. NISD has some of the best magnet programs in Texas.”

At the NISD Magnet Showcase, parents and younger students walked through rows of projects. A Health Careers student demonstrated sutures on a fake wound. A Communication Arts team aired a documentary about food deserts. A Business & Technology group pitched a financial literacy app.

“You’re not just building robots in your notebook, are you?” He pointed to the margins of her lab report. Tiny circuits. Motors. A sketch of a prosthetic hand made from recycled printer parts.